Red Sox’s Lewis Is Eager to Play Despite Beaning

Boston center fielder Darren Lewis, hit in the helmet by a Jaret Wright fastball in the fifth inning, left the game but apparently was not seriously injured and might play today, Manager Jimy Williams said.

In fact, Williams said, Lewis, who fell to the ground and stayed there for several minutes after being hit on the left side of the helmet, did not want to leave the game.

“He certainly wanted to stay in,” Williams said. “That’s the kind of player he is.”

Lewis stayed in the dugout after he was replaced by Damon Buford, and had no complaints of dizziness.

“We’ll see tomorrow,” Williams said. “If he’s OK, we’re certainly going to play him.”

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Cleveland Manager Mike Hargrove said his plan against key Red Sox batters is to pitch around them at every opportunity. It’s just that Tuesday, with No. 2 batter John Valentin on base ahead of Mo Vaughn and Nomar Garciaparra all day, it was impossible to pitch around either batter.

The result Tuesday: Vaughn and Garciaparra combined to drive in all 11 Boston runs, and Valentin scored four runs, a division series record.

“We had to pitch to them today--every time they came up they had runners on base and we had no place else to put them,” Hargrove said. “The best way we can change is to get the people out in front of them.”

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Boston starter Pedro Martinez said he figured out quickly that he couldn’t use his changeup as much as he usually does against the Indians.

His first changeup was ripped by Kenny Lofton for a deep out to center field, and after that, Martinez said he used his curve as his off-speed pitch.

“I kind of had an idea that they were aware of my changeup, and I had to switch to something else and go about it differently,” Martinez said.

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The Indians have now lost their last seven postseason series openers, dating to the 1995 American League championship series. The last time Cleveland opened a postseason series with a victory was in a 1995 division series when the Indians beat the Red Sox, 5-4, in 13 innings. . . . Vaughn’s three-run homer in the first inning was the first three-run homer hit by a Red Sox player in the postseason since Jim Rice hit a three-run shot against the Angels’ John Candelaria in the seventh inning of Game 7 of the 1986 AL championship series.

TODAY’S PITCHERS

RED SOX’S TIM WAKEFIELD (17-8, 4.58 ERA) vs. INDIANS’ DWIGHT GOODEN (8-6, 3.76 ERA)

Site--at Cleveland.

Time--10 a.m. TV--ESPN. Update--Gooden has had trouble against Boston, losing both of his starts this season (with a 7.84 ERA), and he has an 0-5 record overall, including two losses in the 1986 World Series when he was a Met.